Compass
by HerMajestyElsa
Summary: After Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Bucky Barnes is staring himself in the face at The Captain America exhibit. There he meets Daisy Boniface, a beautiful young girl that has all the answers. Daisy helps Bucky not only find out who he once was, but helps him become that man once again with nothing more than an open door and mind. Bucky/OC.
1. Chapter 1

Bucky stood in front of his own memorial at the Captain America exhibit. The red, white, and blue that surrounded him reflected off of the area, but his face was still clear. He stood there and studied it. He studied each piece of facial hair that threatened to grow into a beard. He studied the way the eyebrows lifted and eyes crinkled when he laughed. He studied the way the lips curved into a sly smile that would make any woman swoon (until Steve became Captain America, that is).

Memories were slowly beginning to infiltrate their way into his brain, but he couldn't comprehend them. It didn't make sense.

"Hey, Daisy? Can you do me a favor and check to make sure no one stole one of the costumes again?"

"Sure thing!"

Bucky didn't budge. It didn't even register in his brain that someone was coming to check on the exhibit as the museum was closing. He was convinced that no one knew he was in there, and he was right until Daisy turned the corner into the exhibit and saw him standing there.

He didn't budge upon the sound of her footsteps. He was too focused on the memorial. It caused Daisy to stop in her tracks. She observed the man. His dark brown locks, which almost reached his shoulders, looked like they needed to be washed. There was dirt on his face, arm and hand; the other arm and hand were completely metal. As she stepped around, she wasn't sure if she should interrupt him. The concentration in his eyes, which were as blue as the sea, was unlike anything she had ever seen before. She could see pain behind that concentration and didn't have it in her to break it.

She walked over to the costumes and saw that none of them had been stolen again. She brushed some dust off of the one in the center and turned back only to see the man still standing there. She peeked to see that he was looking down at his feet now.

She took a deep breath. This was her opportunity. She felt bad; she didn't know what to do. "Sir? Can I help you?"

Bucky looked up and turned to look at the source of the voice. It was smooth and sweet. 'Sir? Can I help you?' sounded like a fairytale coming from her lips. He looked her up and down briefly. Her blonde hair was in a messy braid that was threatening to fall out after a long day. Her eyes sparkled in the museum lighting. Her lips were full and slightly parted. Her blue lace dress hugged her figure, which could have put any of his favorite models to shame and made his mouth water, but his gaze went back to her eyes almost immediately.

"No, ma'am," he mustered. "Thank you."

"We're closing soon, but if you need anything, my name's Daisy," she said with a smile and a nod. She turned on her heel to leave the exhibit.

Boy, did her name suit her. She was more than just a daisy, but a field of them on a summer day that Bucky could practically smell.

"Actually, Miss Daisy?" Bucky spoke up.

Daisy turned back around to face Bucky. "Yes, sir?"

"Do you know anything about James Buchanan Barnes?" Bucky asked. His own name felt foreign on his tongue. "And Steve Rogers?"

"Yeah, lots," Daisy said with another nod and smile. "I did all of the work for this exhibit. There's a lot that didn't make the cut. If you wanted more information, I have it in my office." Bucky pursed his lips. Daisy eyed him curiously. She glanced from him to the memorial of James Buchanan Barnes and then back to Bucky. It was the eyes that gave it away. "You're him, aren't you?"

Bucky opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He closed his mouth only to open it again. "Yeah. So I just discovered, yeah."

"So it is all true," Daisy whispered.

"I should go," Bucky decided. "I'm sorry for any trouble, Miss Daisy."

"No, please," Daisy insisted. "Please, don't go."

"I need help finding out who I am," Bucky admitted. "It's all gone. I don't know if you could help me."

"You'd be surprised how many papers I have in my office with your name on them, Sergeant Barnes," Daisy pressed. "I can help you start. I would be honored."

"You would?" Bucky asked; she could hear the doubt in his voice.

Daisy nodded. "Come back here tomorrow morning at your convenience. Ask for me at the front desk and they'll show you where to go. I'll be waiting," she instructed. "I hope to see you."

"You will," Bucky assured her. "Have a lovely night, Miss Daisy."

Bucky left her with a nod and a smile. Before leaving the exhibit, Daisy made her way to the memorial for James Buchanan Barnes. She admired the cocky smirk of the past and the same light stubble and jawline. His eyes lacked the sparkle that they held in the past. Her fingers traced the date he died and then fell to her side.

Her theories had been right: the experiments performed on him did help him survive the fall and eventually become The Winter Soldier. With HYDRA defeated, he was no longer The Winter Soldier and unsure of who Bucky Barnes was. She was right. She had been right about everything in the midst of all the nay-sayers. Her smile grew as she realized this.

"He's alive," she said to herself. "I was right. He's alive."


	2. Chapter 2

Daisy arrived at her office early morning to prepare The Winter Soldier's files that she had created. She took out everything that had been cut from the exhibit - which had to have been hundreds upon hundreds of papers - of documented sightings, his past, his present, theories of who this ghost man with a metal arm was.

He arrived at nine that morning. He roamed, never thinking of asking for directions. He realized he didn't know her last name and began to worry until he caught a glimpse of a blonde bun in the window of one of the doors. He looked more closely and saw that it was her. He knocked and she looked up at him through the little glass panel. She beamed and rushed over to the door and held it open for him.

"Good morning!" Daisy exclaimed. "It's good to see you again, Sergeant Barnes."

It felt weird for him to be called that, but he accepted it. "You can just call me Bucky. That's what they called me, right?"

Daisy's smile grew; Bucky didn't know that was possible. "Okay. Um, I really don't know where you'll want to start. We could talk about before you were frozen or after first."

"Which one is worse?" Bucky asked.

Daisy's smile turned into a frown; Bucky wished she would smile again. Daisy was flustered and straightened the two piles of files. "Um, I guess after you were frozen is worse. But I don't know if it'll make much sense to you unless you know what happened before."

"So then let's start from the very beginning, I guess. How long is all of it?"

Daisy lightly pushed the two stacks of folders and papers about an inch forward on the desk. "This is everything. The pile on your right is before and the one on your left is after. I've put everything in chronological order in both piles."

Daisy was so nervous. She hoped that he didn't think she was crazy.

Bucky was in awe. He went to speak but wasn't sure what to say. "Wow," he mustered. "This… you did all this for me?"

Daisy smiled warmly at him and nodded. She looked like a fairy tale as she stood, her hands clasped together in front of her and standing with her ankles crossed. Her blonde hair was up in a messy bun and strands of it were falling out. "Yeah. I got here early to make sure it was ready for you. I told you I had a lot."

"Miss Daisy, you didn't have to do all of this," Bucky said as he smiled.

"You can just call me Daisy," she insisted. "And please, don't worry about it. It's what I love to do. I was so scared that I had all this research for nothing when they cut it from the exhibit. I'm glad you came."

"How did you even get all of this information?" Bucky asked. "Won't a lot of this be top-secret government information or from S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA?"

"Let's just say I know a guy," Daisy winked. "Please, take a seat. Do you want to be alone?"

Bucky thought about it. He never did think about if he wanted to be alone or not. He pursed his lips while he decided. "No, actually, I think I'd like you to stay."

Daisy smiled and pulled up another chair. "If you ever want some privacy, just tell me. I'll butt out."

Bucky sat down in the chair on the opposite side of Daisy's desk. He reluctantly reached for the top file on his right hand side. This was the moment of truth and he was terrified.

"Miss Daisy?"

She smiled at his formality. She would never admit how much it made her heart flutter. "Yes, Bucky?"

"Thank you for being so kind to me. You really didn't have to do this."

"If it's too much, you don't have to go through all of them in one day," Daisy said. "Don't worry about it. Take your time. I'm not getting rid of them, Bucky. I wanted to help you."

Bucky's lips curved into a smile. It was an unfamiliar feeling for him. Daisy was glad to see him finally show some sort of emotion beyond his eyes. She watched him slowly open the file and stare at the first page. James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes. His photo was there and everything.

While Bucky went through the files, Daisy focused on some research for an upcoming exhibit. She found it hard to focus; she was so enamored by Bucky's presence and was still surprised that he was sitting directly across from her. She found herself daydreaming, something she rarely did, and would struggle to snap back into reality.

Most people would be afraid of him, but she wasn't.

It wasn't until noon, her lunch break, that she left her office. "I'm going to grab lunch, would you like me to get you anything? It's on me."

Bucky looked up from the file. He had lost track of time. His blue eyes were wide; she could tell he was soaking in everything. He was a third of the way down the stack of files. "Sure. Whatever you're having, I guess."

"Easy enough," Daisy said. "I'll be back in a bit."

She returned with two boxes of chicken sandwiches from the restaurant down the road. When she entered her office, she stopped dead in her tracks. She was quick to close the door and set the bag of food on her desk. She gently approached Bucky, not sure what to do.

He was slumped in his chair with his head resting on her desk. An open file rested in his gently shook his shoulder that wasn't metal. "Sergeant Barnes? Are you alright?"

He jolted up, causing Daisy to take a step back. He took a few quick, deep breaths as he looked around the office, trying to remember where he was. It didn't completely register until he saw Daisy. She sighed in relief.

"I… I didn't hurt you, did I?" Bucky asked her. He hoped he didn't; she seemed frazzled.

"No, not at all," Daisy confirmed. "Just startled me, that's all. Are you alright?"

'Thank God,' he thought. He wasn't sure why he felt such a strong attachment to this woman, but it would have killed him if he had hurt her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think I fell asleep."

"When's the last time you slept?" Daisy said as she moved from standing next to him to sitting across from him. She shoved the pile he hadn't started on yet over on her desk and put the take out box in front of him.

Bucky pondered this for a moment. "To be honest, Miss Daisy, I really couldn't tell you."

Daisy gave him a sad smile. "Well, how about this, Sergeant Barnes," she began. "Do you have anywhere to stay?"

Bucky shook his head.

"Why don't you stay at my place? I can bring my work to my apartment and you can get some rest and if you need anything, not only will I be there but you'll have a warm bed rather than a cold table."

Bucky contemplated it. Could he trust her? She did have an unearthly amount of information about him, after all, with evidence for each of them. But she was kind and she was beautiful and he could tell when he looked into her eyes that she was genuine.

Bucky pursed his lips and nodded. "Yeah, I think I'd like that."


	3. Chapter 3

Her apartment was small, but not too small. It was cozy. White curtains draped across the window in the living room and were held together at the ends with a gold rope. There was a large sill for someone to sit and look out the window at the city. The floor plan was fairly open: when Bucky walked in the first thing he noticed was the kitchen immediately on his left. The counter had bar stools by it and faced the living room, which was straight ahead. When you passed the kitchen there was a hallway that lead to the two bathrooms and bedrooms. The coffee table in the living room had a vase filled with fresh cut sunflowers that made the whole apartment smell like summer.

"Miss Daisy?"

"Yes, Sergeant Barnes?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

Daisy looked to Bucky and frowned. He could see the sudden sadness that struck her big, happy eyes. "Because, Sergeant Barnes," Daisy began, "everybody needs somebody to be nice to them."

"Miss Daisy, I've killed people," Bucky said gravely. "I haven't gone through the post-freezing files yet but I know and remember enough to know that I've literally killed dozens of people. I almost killed the man that was once my best friend. You're letting me into your home. You aren't scared?"

Daisy sighed. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little," she admitted. "But whatever Captain Rogers said to you clearly resonated with you and it's helping. So I'm just going to trust that everything will be okay because this… it's just the right thing to do."

Bucky cracked a small smile. "Thank you, Miss Daisy."

"I've told you before, Sergeant Barnes," Daisy said with a smile. "You can just call me Daisy."

"It was Bucky they called me, right?"

"That's right."

"I'll start just calling you Daisy when you start just calling me Bucky. Do we have a deal?"

Daisy smirked. "Alright, Bucky. Here, I'll show you to the bedrooms. You need your rest."

"Thank you, Miss Daisy."

"What did I just tell you?"

"Sorry, ma'am."

"Oh, don't you ma'am me."

Bucky laughed. It felt strange on his lips, laughing did, but it felt good. It was more of a soft chuckle if you asked Daisy, but it was a start for him. Any sign of positive emotion was a good thing.

Bucky fell asleep almost immediately. Daisy did her work in the living room, researching her latest project on her Macbook while sitting in the window sill with a cup of homemade iced coffee. President John F. Kennedy's birthday was coming up and the museum wanted to give him a great tribute and exhibition.

In his sleep, Bucky remembered everything. Things came flooding back to him that were confirmed by what he had read and what he was going to read. He tossed and turned relentlessly in his sleep. He hadn't gotten to this point in his reading yet and if it was a memory rather than a dream, he was going to dread reading this.

He fell off of the train, remembering seeing Steve there, reaching for him. His arm was gone. Everything was happening so quickly and he was so dazed and he was surprised he was alive. If HYDRA didn't find him when he was frozen, he probably wouldn't have been alive. Before he knew it, the remnants of his arm were gone too and it was replaced by metal. He was being brainwashed. He was going in and out of being asleep and being woken up again when he was needed.

He jolted awake in a cold sweat. He must have screamed, because Daisy had come running to the guest room. She stopped at the doorway, one hand on either side of the frame. Her lips were parted and her eyes were wild. "Bucky? Are you okay?"

His breathing was heavy and quick. He ran a hand through his long hair only to look at his metal hand and arm. He nodded a few times. Daisy's shoulders visibly relaxed. "It was just a nightmare," Bucky said. "It may have been a memory. I don't know yet. I haven't read that far."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," he answered quickly. He realized he must have sounded sharp. He didn't want to hurt her. "I'm sorry. I just-"

"It's okay," Daisy said. "Don't apologize. I understand. I mean, not to this extent, but I do understand to some degree."

"You do?"

Daisy nodded. "That's a story for a rainy day." She winked. "Can I get you some tea or anything?"

"No. Do you mind if I use your bathroom, I really need to shower."

"You don't have to ask, Bucky," Daisy said with a giggle. "Help yourself. There are towels on the rack already."

"Thanks," Bucky said. He swung his legs over the bed and made his way down the hall once Daisy returned to the window sill.

The shampoo felt good in his hair and the soap felt good on his skin. He didn't even care that he smelled like roses and his hair smelled like "long term relationship" (he wasn't sure why they didn't just call it raspberries). He could feel the difference in his skin and his hair now that he was clean again. He let the hot water hit his back and did his best to avoid getting his arm wet.

When he stepped out of the shower and dried himself off, he wrapped the soft, fluffy towel around his waist. He picked up a brush and brushed his hair for the first time in what felt like forever. He closed his eyes and enjoyed it; it was almost therapeutic. The bathroom was still steamy from his shower and smelled like the soap and shampoo he had just used. When he opened his eyes, he looked at what was scattered along Daisy's counter. There was a blue basket that matched the towel that was currently hanging around his waist filled with different lotions. There was a perfume bottle next to it that read PINK in bold block letters, which confused Bucky because the bottle was purple. Underneath the word PINK was 'sweet and flirty.' A smaller bottle stood next to it; it was short and blue. The top of the bottle had two daisies, one pink and one coral. It read DAISY, and underneath it in a smaller font read MARC JACOBS. He thought it was funny that she owned what appeared to be perfume that went by the same name as her. Bucky picked up each one and removed the caps to smell them. He was surprised to find that the one called DAISY did not actually smell like daisies, but rather apples and other flowers. Next to the perfumes was a floral print bag that was filled with make up and brushes. On the other side of the sink rested hand soap in a dish, a blue bottle of liquid hand soap, her toothbrush in a holder that matched the other blue things in her room, an unlit candle that Bucky decided smelled like Christmas cookies, and a jewelry box. He searched for signs of another resident, but couldn't find any. All he saw was Daisy.

Bucky then glanced at himself in the mirror. His quick glance turned into a long stare. He thought of what Daisy said to him earlier when they got to her apartment: everyone needs somebody to be nice to them. It's the right thing to do.

He frightened himself. What was he thinking? She could be with S.H.I.E.L.D. or with HYDRA. But as he looked around at the things on her bathroom counter, he knew she wasn't. He was waiting for the catch. There had to be some sick punchline to all this.

As he looked back down at her counter, he saw the picture frames. She had shoved two pictures in the one on the left; there was one on the top and another underneath it inside the frame. The top picture was Daisy and another girl looking at each other and laughing. The one on the bottom was them puckering up their lips, painted red, and pointing at the camera. They were wearing black leotards, black tights, high heels, and fake bunny ears and tails. In the picture frame on the right, there was only one picture. It was her with two other girls smiling and wearing cocktail dresses. Stuck to the frame was a strip from a photo-booth of her with all these girls making funny faces. He decided then that there was no way she was with S.H.I.E.L.D. or HYDRA. She was just a normal woman.


	4. Chapter 4

When Bucky emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, his hair still damp, he approached Daisy in the living room. She was still curled up in the window sill on her laptop, doing her work.

"Miss Daisy?" Bucky said.

She looked over to him and smiled. His skin no longer had a film of dirt and his hair looked much better despite its length. The circles under his eyes were beginning to fade away. He looked like a whole new man.

"You look great," she said.

Bucky smiled shyly. He wasn't expecting that. "I was just wondering if you lived here alone."

"It's just me," Daisy confirmed. "I used to have a roommate, but they left a few months ago. I was glad to see them go, to be honest. Don't worry, you aren't stealing anyone's bed."

"Okay," Bucky said with a nod. He felt reassured by this. "I was just curious."

There was a silence for a moment. Bucky wanted to speak to her but didn't know what to say.

"I have another question," Bucky spoke up.

"Hmm?"

"Do you know how to cut hair?"

Her lips curved into a big smile. "You want me to cut your hair?"

Bucky nodded.

"Yeah, come on." Daisy set her laptop down and took Bucky by his real hand, leading him back into the bathroom. Some of the steam was still there but it was mostly gone now. She ran back to grab a bar stool and set it down in front of the sink counter. "Sit down. I'll grab some scissors."

She ran out and back in again. Bucky took a deep breath. He was looking forward to ridding of the long locks; he wanted to look like himself again. He thought it might help.

"How do you want me to cut it?"

"How it used to look. Back before, well, you know."

"Coming right up. Just sit still," Daisy said. Bucky closed his eyes to try to relax himself. She started by pulling his hair back as if she were going to put it into a ponytail, but chopped it all off together instead. He felt the weight fall off of his head. From there, she began to trim even closer to his head, being extremely careful.

She was surprised with how still Bucky was being before remembering that he was used to being strapped down to chairs for electric shock therapy in order to wipe his memories. This must have been easy for him.

When she finished, she set the scissors down on the counter, blow dried his hair, and wiped her hands. She hadn't cut anyone's hair in a long time - not since Dave moved out - and was feeling pretty proud of herself. "You can open your eyes, Bucky," she said with a small giggle. He opened them and his eyes widened when he looked in the mirror. He didn't even recognize himself.

"Wow," he muttered.

"Welcome back, Bucky Barnes," Daisy said with a wink. "You like it?"

Bucky nodded. His theory worked. "I feel a little less like, well-"

Daisy beamed. "I know what you mean. Good." She went to the closet across the hall and grabbed the broom and pan, sweeping up his cut hair. Bucky was shocked at how much of it was gone.

"Miss Daisy, I don't know how I can ever repay you for any of this," Bucky said. "You've been so kind to me."

"Don't worry about it," Daisy said. "Like I told you, I wanted to help."

Daisy returned to her work and Bucky returned to the guest room, where the files were place on a desk. He was almost done with the past pile and contemplated reading more, but decided to get more sleep. He didn't wake up until the next morning, feeling refreshed. He dreamed more memories, but they were of happier times when he and Steve went on a double date to 'the future.' How ironic that was.

He rolled out of bed and put on some fresh jeans and a shirt; he didn't have many civilian clothes, and Daisy had noticed his light travel. He strolled out into the kitchen and stopped in the doorframe to the living room when he heard her talking. She must have been on the phone. Music was playing lightly in the background and was barely audible.

"Shut up. Ugh, what a creep." Pause. "No, you're not crazy. That's probably the most disgusting thing I've ever heard." Pause. "Oh god, no, don't do that. Yeah, yeah, I know, you've been wanting to hook up with his roommate for a while but remember that time he got tested and it came back positive? Just don't." Pause. "I heard it was more than just the clap. Just don't even go there. You'll thank me later." Pause. "I've been fine. Better than before, actually. The first like, two weeks were pretty hard. I didn't miss him or anything, I still don't. It was just weird waking up by myself to an empty apartment and cooking for one instead of two." Brief pause. "No, I haven't. Thank God. I think I'd die. It would just be super awkward. Didn't you hear? That girl dumped him like, two weeks later when she found out that she wasn't the only woman in his life and now he's sharing a bed with someone named Felipe. Not even kidding. Josie saw them out together a few weeks ago." Pause. She laughed and flipped the pancakes she was making. "I wish. I never have a day off. When I'm not working, I'm researching for work. But I'm going to try to take it easy today. No, I will not be having wine with my breakfast. Jesus Christ, Cari, that was only like, two times in college. Maybe four." She laughed again.

This was when Bucky decided to make his appearance. He couldn't help but listen to the conversation and wonder who this guy was. He must have been her former roommate and sounded like a former boyfriend.

Daisy glanced over at Bucky and gave him a bright smile. She was wearing yoga pants and a tank top that hugged her curves nicely. For the first time, he saw her hair down as it cascaded over her shoulders in waves. Bucky tried his best to keep his gaze onto her face.

"Hey Cari, I gotta go. I'll text you later, ok?" She hung up her cell phone and placed it on the kitchen counter. She flipped the pancakes again. "Good morning, handsome!"

"Morning."

"There's coffee in the pot if you want any. I hope you like pancakes."

Bucky nodded and headed into the kitchen. He grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee, some sugar and cream. He leaned against the counter while she finished the pancakes. He ran his hand through his hair to push it back, almost forgetting that it was short again. "No wine?"

Daisy laughed. "Oh god. I'm sorry you had to hear that. Please don't think I have a drinking problem."

Bucky smirked. "It's alright. Even if you did, I'm not really in a position to judge."

"Well, if you'd prefer wine over coffee in the morning, just let me know," Daisy teased. Bucky chuckled. It still felt strange for him to laugh and smile, but he couldn't help it around Daisy. Her mood was contagious.

"Coffee's just fine, but I may hold you to that in the future."

"I'll remember that."

"What kind of pancakes are you making?"

"Buttermilk with chocolate chips and blueberries. I like to tell myself that the blueberries negate how unhealthy the chocolate chips probably are."

Bucky laughed. "That's totally how it works."

"I don't appreciate your sarcasm, Sergeant Barnes," Daisy said as she shot him a wink.

"My apologies, Miss Daisy." He wanted to ask her about her former roommate but he knew better. His thoughts were interrupted by Daisy placing two plates on the counter by the barstools. She grabbed some forks and knives and set them next to the plates.

"Did you sleep well?" Daisy asked.

Bucky nodded. "Much better than my nap before. It was memories again, but nicer ones. Nothing traumatizing."

"I'm glad to hear that," Daisy said before taking a bite of her pancakes. "Hopefully it stays like that."

"It probably won't, but that would be nice."

Daisy was glad he didn't ask. She realized he probably heard most of that conversation and knew he was probably wondering about who this guy was but she was so glad that he didn't ask. She hated talking about Dave.

Having Bucky there was surprisingly comforting. She enjoyed knowing that she was no longer alone. She enjoyed being there for other people and he gave her someone to be there for. Of course, it helped that he was handsome. But she knew he was a broken man. She felt it was her responsibility to help him; after all, it was no coincidence that she found him in the museum the other night. It couldn't have been. She believed it was her fate.


	5. Chapter 5

Bucky took some of the files out into the living room to work on them in Daisy's presence. She had resumed her work in her usual place by the window sill. Bucky placed a file in his lap and opened it but didn't look at it for a while. He couldn't take his eyes off of Daisy. The sunbeams coming through the window fell on her skin and her hair. She loved how it warmed her skin and Bucky could see it in the way her lips rested in a soft smile while she worked. Every now and then she would toss some hair over her shoulder or tuck some behind her ear.

When she reached over to grab her coffee was when he decided to focus on the files. He wanted to know more about himself as soon as possible, even if the truth hurt.

He finally reached the part where he and Steve were on the train. Bucky nearly froze when he read how he fell. How he was frozen in the snow and how he lost his arm and he had to set the file down on the table. He put his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. It was what he dreamed about only more put together with the plot complete.

"D-Daisy?"

Daisy could hear his voice crack. She turned away from her laptop to address him. "Yeah, Bucky?"

"Did I- Did I die?"

Daisy set her laptop down on the window sill and joined Bucky on the couch. "No, no, not really," she said. She was struggling to find the words to explain it to him. She wanted to reach out to him, to hold his hand or place hers on his knee, but she wasn't sure how he'd react to her touch. "You almost did. HYDRA had tested on you before, as you read, and, well," Daisy began. She slowly slid her hand onto Bucky's. "Well, those tests, while they were horrible, they did save you. You lost your arm in the explosion and they replaced it with the one you have now after they found you in the snow and ice."

Bucky gave Daisy's hand a squeeze. He felt himself becoming Bucky Barnes again instead of some HYDRA experiment when he squeezed back instead of recoiling and attacking her. He took a long, deep breath. Daisy rubbed her thumb against his hand. He liked how it felt and how it made him shiver.

"So I didn't die?"

"No." Daisy shook her head. "No. You were always alive. You would be asleep for long periods of time sometimes, but not dead." She wiped a tear from his eye; Bucky didn't even realize that he was crying.

"I- I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't apologize, Bucky," Daisy reassured. "We all need to cry sometimes."

He did. He leaned his head into her shoulder and he cried. They didn't say a word, but sat there on the couch with her arms wrapped around him as Bucky cried into her shoulder as he remembered all of it. She rubbed his back and rested one hand on the back of his head to stroke his hair at the same time.

As the days and weeks went on, this became normal. It didn't happen all the time, but every now and then his memories would come like a dam had broken and the flood rushed in. Sometimes she would come home late from the museum to hear him in the guest room screaming from a nightmare and she would run in and sometimes have to straddle him to stop the thrashing and hold him close as he woke up. He would pull himself into her and let his head rest on her chest as she stroked his hair and rubbed his back and told him that everything was okay and she was here now and she understood. He would apologize profusely for waking her up or scaring her or almost hurting her and he was always left speechless when she would just tell him it was okay and that she understood, and that she was here now and it's all over now. They would wake up the next morning with one holding the other.

He never believed she understood until he woke up one night to hear her screams coming from her bedroom next door about two months into him living there with her. He never heard her scream before, so when he heard it in the middle of the night he jolted awake from his own post-traumatic stress induced nightmare and forgot all about it. He ran to her room and forced the door open with his metal arm, not knowing that she left it unlocked like he did, and when it swung open he saw that nobody had broken in like he thought but that she was dreaming.

"Daisy!" Bucky exclaimed. He ran to her bedside and gently touched her shoulder. She woke up at his touch. One of her hands clutched at her chest and the other reached for his hand.

"Oh, Bucky, thank God it's just you," she said. Her breathing was uneven and her eyes looked heavy. Her hair was a tousled mess and the corner of her sheets had been kicked off. Bucky moved to adjust them before sitting on the bed next to her. "I'm so sorry, Buck, I must have woken you up, I-"

"Hey, it's alright," Bucky said. He tucked some of her stray strands of hair behind her ear. "I do it all the time." He noticed that she was trembling. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Daisy insisted, quickly nodding her head. "Just a nightmare. I'm so sorry. This hasn't happened in a really long time. I'm so sorry, Buck-"

"Stop apologizing," Bucky nearly commanded. He shifted from sitting to lying down next to her. Daisy immediately clung to Bucky, wrapping her arms around his torso and nuzzling her head into his chest. Bucky was surprised at how quickly she did this and slowly wrapped his arms around her. He was so scared of breaking her; she was so fragile compared to him.

"Will you stay?" Daisy asked.

"Of course," Bucky said. "If my arm is too cold, just let me know and I'll move it."

"It's perfect," she whispered. She was still trembling, but not as much as she was before she was in his arms.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Car accident," she said. That was all she needed to say for him to understand. It explained why on some days, she would struggle to open a jar of peanut butter or a bottle of water and why she had trouble lifting heavy things and why she was always cracking her knuckles and why she always had a bottle of ibuprofen in her purse: nerve damage. It must have been a bad one, especially if she was having post-traumatic stress nightmares.

"It's okay," Bucky said. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Daisy was surprised to see this side of Bucky and she loved it. She had seen him vulnerable many times but never like this. She was especially happy to hear him whisper things in her ear and leave a long kiss on her forehead as he rubbed her back and stroked her hair like she had for him so many times.


	6. Chapter 6

It was Daisy's day off the next morning so they didn't have an alarm to wake them up. Instead, it was Bucky's phone ringing from the other room that caused them to stir in their sleep.

His phone only rang if it was Daisy.

Bucky slipped out of Daisy's bed as she sat up. He came back to her room with the unrecognized number still ringing. "I'm scared to answer it. What if its-"

"I'll answer," Daisy said. "If its sketchy, I'll just tell them they have the wrong number." Bucky decided this was logical, handed her the phone and she answered it. "Hello?"

"Hi, um, I think I might have the wrong number. Is Bucky there? This is Steve… Steve Rogers. I'm not calling on anyone's behalf. I just… I had Natasha find his number for me and this is one of many that came up and I'm hoping this is the right one. I'm sorry, I'm babbling."

"How do I know you're actually Steve Rogers?" Daisy asked. Bucky's eyes widened. "Anyone could call and say they're Captain America."

"If Bucky is there, tell him that I'm with him 'til the end of the line. He'll know."

Daisy mouthed those words to Bucky. He motioned for her to give him the phone, so she complied. "Steve?"

"Buck? Is that you? Who was that that answered?"

"Yeah, it's me. I'm living with her, she found me and took me in. How'd you find me?"

"Bucky… are you yourself again?"

"Working on it," Bucky said with pursed lips. He crawled back into bed with Daisy, curling up next to her and wrapping his real arm around her shoulders. "She's been helping me. How exactly did you find me?"

"I had Natasha look you up for me. About thirty numbers came up, this one is twelfth on the list. I've called all of the first twelve. Don't worry, S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't exactly exist anymore. They've sort of disbanded."

"Why are you calling?"

"I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"Like I said, I'm working on it. I… I got a lot of the information I was looking for. She's been like a miracle, Steve."

Daisy's cheeks ruddied up. She bit her bottom lip and smiled. She wouldn't call herself a miracle, that's for sure, but she wasn't complaining.

"We should all get together sometime. Would you like that?"

Bucky paused and pursed his lips. He suddenly became tense. Daisy noticed this. His grip around her tightened for a brief moment before relaxing again. His hands balled up into fists. Daisy lazily rested her elbow on his shoulder and stroked his hair slowly. Bucky closed his eyes and took a deep breath; this helped him relax.

"If you're not ready, we don't have to," Steve said.

"I just… I don't know if I can trust you, Steve. How do I know you're not with some government agency?"

"They're all gone, Buck," Steve said. "I know you know it's just me."

Bucky gave it a long moment's thought. "Fine. But just us. I don't want her getting hurt just in case."

"That's fine, Buck," Steve said. "Whatever you're comfortable with."

The two of them met the next day. They met for lunch at a small hole-in-the-wall cafe. Daisy was working her second job at George Washington University teaching a history class. She had worked there on her days off from the museum teaching a few classes twice a week since she graduated college. They had hired her right away.

"So," Daisy said, turning the projector on. "Since finals are coming up soon and I know you guys are really stressed, I wanted to spend the next two weeks reviewing what will be on the final. This way we can break down the material as needed."

The class let out a mixture of sighs of relief and a chorus of "You're the best, Miss B."

"Hey, Miss Boniface?" A student in the back called out.

"Yes, Cameron?"

"If I review the way to your heart, can I get an A?"

The class giggled. One of the guys high-fived Cameron.

"Sorry Cameron, I don't go for KAs," Daisy retorted. The class laughed a little louder at her response. "But seriously, Cam, if you hit on me one more time I will refer you to the Dean. She's super cool but can be a total bitch if you give her a good reason to be, and this is one of them, so please don't make me do that. Anyways," Daisy said with a smile, "your final will mainly consist of the Cold War era and after it. If Forrest Gump experienced it, it's probably on your final." The class giggled. "So, we'll be starting with chapter 14."

It was her last class for the day, so Daisy was grateful once the hour was up. As she was packing her things, Cameron approached her desk.

"Hey, Miss Boniface, I'm really sorry about my comment from before," he said as he shrugged. "I just don't know what to do about my grade."

Daisy sighed. Cameron hadn't turned in a single assignment and he barely showed up to class. When he did come, he made remarks similar to the one he made earlier, if not worse.

"Just study a lot," Daisy said. "Genuinely study. And if you can get at least one of those papers in to me by the end of this week, I'll accept them. I can't give you an A on them, it's super late, but I will give you some credit. I know you like to be involved in your fraternity but you've gotta make time for school. Is that fair?"

"Yes. Thank you, Miss Boniface," Cameron said with a sigh. "I really appreciate it."

"Have a good day, Cam," Daisy said with a smile.

"You too, Miss Boniface," Cameron said. He gave her a smile and a wave before leaving. Before he was completely out the door, her phone began to ring. It was Bucky.

"Hey," she greeted. "How did it go?"

"Can you pick us up?" Bucky asked.

Daisy's eyebrows furrowed. She rushed to get her things in her bag and hurried out the door and to her car. "What's wrong? Where are you guys?"

"Some old HYDRA guys came along," Bucky explained. "They caught a glimpse of us and started to chase us and there may or may not have been gunfire but we're alright. We got away. We're behind one of the fraternity houses on campus so we're not far."

"Which one?" Daisy asked.

"KA?"

"Great," Daisy said. "I'll be right there. Don't move."

Daisy sped and went down to Greek row. She stopped at the Kappa Alpha Order house and texted Bucky to let him know she was there. Cameron was just walking up the steps and froze where he was walking.

"That's my history professor," he said to a brother. "The hot one I told you about!"

"Who the hell are those guys?" His brother asked. Cameron shrugged as Bucky and Steve ran into her car. She sped off before they even completely closed their doors.

"You guys are lucky my class just wrapped up," Daisy said with a sigh of relief. "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine, ma'am. Thank you," Steve said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, although the circumstances are quite unfortunate."

"I could say the same thing," Daisy responded. Steve had Daisy drop him off at his apartment before she took Bucky back home.

Bucky was silent during the short car ride. She reached over and grabbed his hand, rubbing her thumb. Bucky gave her hand a squeeze, appreciating how she just knew to not speak but that a simple hold of the hand was all he needed. He didn't want to talk about it and she knew he didn't want to talk about it.

When they reached their apartment, Daisy immediately went to clean up the bleeding cut on Bucky's cheek. He winced at the Neosporin but sat still for her, the two of them still in silence. While it was silence, it was a comfortable silence. When Daisy finished cleaning up his cheek, Bucky looked up at Daisy and made eye contact with her. He took her by surprise by, without a word, gently cupping her face with his hands and pressing his lips to hers. For such a hard man, his kiss was soft and sweet. Daisy kissed him back, never having imagined that this would happen, but gladly accepted it. Their kiss was long and deep, yet retained a certain sort of innocence and genuineness. Only pulling away for a much needed breath, Bucky released a sigh as he rested his forehead against Daisy's. He left her a second, shorter kiss before sitting up straight.

"I'm sorry, Miss Daisy," Bucky said, finally breaking their silence. "I probably shouldn't have, I-"

"Don't be sorry," Daisy said. It rang in his ears like light church bells on a Sunday afternoon. She placed a hand behind his neck and brought their lips back together, letting Bucky know that what he did was completely acceptable. He melted into her kiss, suddenly feeling unworthy of her affection but completely accepted it anyway.

They pulled away for air again. "You deserve better than me," Bucky blurted out. "So much better. You're too good for me, I-"

"Bucky," Daisy said with a frown. "Promise me you'll never say that ever again."

Bucky gave Daisy a small smile. He pressed his lips to her forehead. "I promise."


	7. Chapter 7

"Maybe I shouldn't leave the apartment for a while," Bucky suggested the next day.

"Probably a good idea," Daisy said with a nervous giggle.

Bucky sighed. "I'm sorry about that. I really owe you one."

"Eh, it spiced up my typically boring day," Daisy shrugged. "It could have been worse."

Bucky laughed and shook his head. He pulled Daisy in closer to him and kissed her temple, his lips still curved in a smile.

He was surprised with how comfortable he felt around Daisy. He felt himself completely losing traces of The Winter Soldier and regaining James Buchanan Barnes. He knew she was a good anchor for him. She never asked questions because she knew that he didn't want to answer them. She never pried when he would go out to meet up with Steve to find more information about his past and himself, only to find that it was exactly what he had read in the files about him that Daisy had from the exhibit a few months ago. She trusted him when he curled up beside her in bed, even when neither of them were having nightmares. He found that being beside her at night helped keep the bad memories at bay. She trusted him when he kissed her, and he did that because he realized last night when she was wiping the dried blood off of his cheek that he loved her and he didn't know how else to tell her than to kiss her.

And he trusted her when she kissed him again. He trusted her when she woke him up from nightmares and held him down at night if the dream - the memory - became violent. He trusted her to stay with her for the last few months and quite frankly couldn't picture himself anywhere else.

He pressed his face to the top of her head, breathing her in. He could smell her shampoo, the one called "long term relationship" (and he still didn't understand why they didn't just call it raspberries).

"I'm surprised you've kept me around this long," Bucky said. "I'm aware that I'm quite a handful."

"A good handful," Daisy said, pursing her lips before allowing them to break out into a smile that would have made even The Winter Soldier's heart melt. "In all seriousness, though, Bucky, you're not a handful. I like having you around."

Bucky beamed a toothy grin. "I'm really glad to hear that, Miss Daisy."

"How many times do I have to tell you that you can just call me Daisy?" She teased.

In response, he leaned over and kissed Daisy gently - he was so scared that he would crush her in his arms - as his hand rested on the side of her face. He was relieved when Daisy kissed back with her smile still intact.

"Bucky," she whispered against his lips between kisses. "As much as I'd love to just stay here and do this all day, I have to get ready for work."

"No you don't," Bucky replied, kissing Daisy even deeper. He effortlessly brought Daisy onto his lap without detaching their lips. "Stay here and do this all day. Not once since I've known you have you ever taken a day off."

Daisy giggled against his lips. "I suppose I could cancel class."

Bucky could no longer speak. He simply nodded as he brought her lips back to his. His hands non-intrusively roamed up Daisy's back underneath her shirt. Her skin felt soft against his own and his metal. His metal hand shot chills up Daisy's spine but the contrast of the cold metal against the sunlight peaking through the blinds felt good.

As their tongues danced, Daisy pulled Bucky closer to her. It surprised him but was a pleasant surprise as one of her hands snaked into his hair and gripped onto some of it, causing a moan to sneak out of his throat.

"Are you okay with all of this?" Bucky asked as they pulled away for breath.

Daisy nodded. "If I wasn't, you'd already know," she said with a wink. The two of them laughed as Bucky brought the two of them back together, continuing right where they left off.

Daisy was initially surprised with how gentle Bucky was being but it didn't take much thought for it to all make sense. She understood that he was probably terrified of losing his control and his sense of self that he had finally regained, and therefore hurting her. But she wasn't scared of any of this happening as his fingers traced her spine and his mouth met hers. While she was aware that it was possible, she trusted him and knew that he would never hurt her.

Bucky's hands shifted from Daisy's back to sides. As they neared her chest, Bucky hesitated. Daisy nodded into their kiss, letting Bucky know that it was okay to continue.

"You can touch me, Bucky, its okay," Daisy said against his lips.

He did.


	8. Chapter 8

Daisy had never thought she would see this day but she was so glad she did. She laid there beside Bucky, his nude, muscular form lying next to hers and holding her close. They were both warm. Their breathing was heavier than normal, but steady. Daisy could feel the rise and fall of Bucky's chest and could hear his heart pounding against his chest quicker than usual.

"Aren't you glad you cancelled your classes?" Bucky purred into Daisy's ear.

"Very," Daisy giggled. "Good call."

Their moment was interrupted by a knocking on Daisy's front door. She groaned, slipping out of bed to redress herself in her oversized T-shirt and old yoga pants. Bucky did the same, only opting for his briefs and sweatpants and staying close behind her when he noticed the look of confusion on her face.

She stood on her tiptoes to look through the peephole and immediately sighed. She turned around and rested her back to the door, waiting for the knocking to stop. It barely did.

"Do you know who that is?" Bucky asked her quietly.

Daisy nodded.

"Aren't you going to answer it?"

She shook her head.

"Daisy? Daisy, please, I know you're in there," Dave called. "My great grand-little in my fraternity, Cameron? He's in your class. I know you cancelled it today and I know you aren't at the museum right now. Please, Dais, I just want to talk to you."

She closed her eyes, wishing that it would stop and that it would just go away.

"Who is that?" Bucky whispered. His tone rang with concern. Daisy just shook her head again.

"Come on, Dais. I… I'm really sorry. I miss you. I just want to talk and apologize."

Daisy decided that she couldn't take it for another second. She knew he wouldn't go away. "Go away, Dave. You're not ever coming in."

"Dais, please-"

"I'll call the police. Go away."

"Daisy, this is ridiculous. I just want to talk."

Bucky immediately noticed Daisy's expression. She looked like she was trying to not cry, and when she rubbed her eyes with her palm, he knew he was right. Bucky's fists had balled up. He stepped forward and motioned for Daisy to move.

"Bucky, you don't have to do anything," Daisy said softly.

"Except I do," Bucky insisted. He effortlessly picked up Daisy and put her back down on her feet behind him. He unlocked the door. At the sound of the door unlocking Dave grew excited but his smile immediately dropped when he saw Bucky at the door. Dave eyed Bucky up and down; sweatpants, no shirt, stubble and messy hair. He had either spent the night or was a new resident at the apartment Dave once shared with Daisy. Dave pursed his lips. His face felt hot as the revelation hit him.

Daisy was with somebody else.

"Who the hell are you?" Dave snapped at Bucky. "And what the hell is up with your arm?"

Bucky's jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. He grabbed Dave by the collar with his metal arm. "Be lucky I didn't grab you by the throat," Bucky said. "I made a lot of sacrifices for my country and my arm was one of them. Now you listen to me," Bucky began. "This lovely dame tells you to leave her alone, you leave her alone. Is that understood?"

Dave still challenged him. "And who are you to tell me to do such?"

"I love her," Bucky said to Dave. Dave's eyes widened; the man with the metal arm was more than just someone Daisy was sleeping with. "That's who. Once again, if this lovely dame tells you to leave her alone, you leave her alone. Is that understood?"

Dave nodded. "Yes sir."

Bucky tossed Dave down gently. He was grateful that he had maintained his control. "Good. Now get outta here. I don't want to see you again."

Dave sped off as Bucky closed the door and locked it. He turned to see Daisy standing there with wide eyes.

"You didn't have to do that, Buck," Daisy said softly.

"Except I did," Bucky said with a sad smile. He reached out to her and wiped her tears with his thumb. "I can't stand to see you cry. I hope I didn't scare you or hurt you, I-"

"You didn't," Daisy assured him. She grabbed a hold of his hand before it left her face. "I could tell you were in control."

Bucky observed her. He saw that she was lightly trembling. He saw that the tears hadn't completely left her eyes. She was repeatedly cracking her knuckles, something she did when she felt uneasy about something.

"Are you sure?" Bucky asked.

Daisy felt horrible. Bucky didn't scare her or hurt her, but it didn't look that way. She was shaken up that Dave had the nerve to show up to her apartment. Just when she thought his name would never cross her mind again, there he was at her door.

"It's not you," Daisy insisted. "I promise. I know I don't seem very convincing right now, but I swear, it's not you."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Bucky asked.

Daisy shook her head. "Long story short, that's my ex boyfriend and ex roommate. I completely refurnished the place after he left and everything, I couldn't bare to leave a trace of him. He was with other women while I was at work because apparently I spent more time there than he would have liked."

Bucky kissed Daisy's forehead and embraced her. "What a fool. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be," Daisy shrugged. "I've been better off without him. Besides, I have you. I've never been better."

Bucky beamed. "I could say the same thing, Miss Daisy."

"Oh, and Buck?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you mean it when you told him you loved me?"

Bucky paused. "I meant every word, Miss Daisy."

Daisy pulled Bucky closer to her. "I love you too, Sergeant Barnes."

Bucky kissed Daisy again, tenderly and intimately, and led her back to bed.


	9. Chapter 9

Since Bucky still didn't feel comfortable leaving the apartment after his close call with HYDRA, Steve frequently came to the apartment to catch up with him. Daisy was glad to see him beginning to interact with people other than just her.

She was surprised when she saw a vase of beautiful white flowers waiting for her on her desk. She took a moment to breathe in the scent before picking up the little note that they came with.

'Some flowers for my Daisy. -B"

She couldn't wipe the smile off of her face the entire day. Everyone seemed to notice and then realized she was smiling so bright because of the beautiful flowers sitting in her office.

"Looks like you have a secret admirer," Trish, her coworker and good friend, said with a wink.

"Not secret, Trish, I know who sent them," Daisy said.

"Ooh! Friend? Lover? Boyfriend?" Trish pried. "I didn't know you were seeing anyone."

"It kind of just happened," Daisy said with a shrug. "I mean, not that I'm complaining. I never would have imagined him to be so sweet, though."

"Well it's been what, almost three months now?" Trish asked. Daisy nodded. "I mean, you gave a homeless man a home, Daisy, not just a place to stay. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I just don't get your motive."

"Because he needed me to, Trish," Daisy sighed. "I wish I could explain everything to you but it's too complicated."

"It's that Barnes guy you studied during the Captain America exhibit, isn't it? The one that you were convinced was The Winter Soldier?" Trish said. Daisy sighed and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. "Oh my God, it is! They froze him like they did to Captain America?"

"Well, not exactly," Daisy frowned. "But sort of, yeah. To keep it simple."

"Oh my God, you're dating like, a 90-year-old man!" Trish laughed. "How does that make you feel to know that you're fu-"

"Alright, Trish, that's enough," Daisy cut her off. Daisy shook her head as she laughed at Trish's antics. "And if we're gonna go there, he's closer to 96."

"Oh, that's grand," Trish exclaimed. "Sugar baby Daisy over here."

"Oh my God," Daisy said. As Daisy rubbed her temples, Trish laughed at her. "I literally cannot believe you," Daisy added.

"You love me," Trish said matter-of-factly. "Don't deny it, Daisy. I know there's room in your heart for me beside that grandpa of yours."

"I can't even," Daisy responded. "I can't even with you right now."

Trish stuck her tongue out at Daisy. "You'd be so bored here without me."

"I actually like what I do, Trish," Daisy reminded her. "This upcoming exhibit is weird as hell, you'd love it."

"Ooh, I love weird shit," Trish said as she slid off of Daisy's desk and ran around to look at some of the files. "Why are we doing something on some guy from Florida?"

"Because my boss just came back from vacationing there and heard about it. She's obsessed. It'll be up by the time the guy's birthday rolls around."

"Cyrus Teed," Trish said in a funny voice. "Ooh, look at this stud all shirtless and everything."

"That's a decayed dead body, Trish," Daisy said with a sigh.

"Oh," Trish said. "Just kidding."

"You're not allowed to make fun of me for Bucky being 96 anymore," Daisy said with a wink. "Necrophilia is a whole other level of crazy."

"Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it," Trish said with a shrug.

Daisy's office phone began to ring; the caller ID said it was Barbara at the front desk. "Hey Barb, what's up?"

"Hey Daisy, there's a young man who says he's here to see you," Barbara said. "He says he's been dating you for a while," Barbara said, and then began to speak in a whisper, "but I know Mr. Barnes knows where your office is. He's tall, sandy brown hair; sound familiar?"

"Very much so," Daisy said, her tone becoming stern. "If you can ID him and his name is Dave, send him home. I won't see him."

"Will do, Daisy," Barbara said.

"Thanks Barb. You're the best."

The girls hung up. Daisy groaned and rested her hands in her arms face down on her desk.

"Is that little shit trying to come back into your life?" Trish asked.

"Trying is the key word, but yes," Daisy said; it came out muffled with her face still resting in her arms. "He showed up at my apartment yesterday. I thought Bucky was gonna beat the shit out of him."

"What happened?"

"He tried coming in but I told him to leave, he still wouldn't go away, so Bucky answered the door and nearly threatened him. He had Dave by the throat and everything."

"Damn," Trish said. "That's kind of hot."

"Trish, really?"

"No, I'm serious! Bucky clearly cares about you. Wanting to protect his woman."

"He was a brainwashed assassin before he met me, Trish. That's not hot."

"No, but him using what he learned when he was a brainwashed assassin is," Trish insisted. "That's like, shit you'd see in a Nicholas Sparks movie."

"Please don't ever compare my relationship with Bucky to a Nicholas Sparks movie ever again," Daisy said with a teasing glare. "Seriously, you know I hate that garbage."

"And you know I love that garbage, so just take the damn compliment," Trish said as she ruffled Daisy's hair. "Have you guys slept together yet?"

Daisy sighed. "Yeah, Trish, we have. Big deal."

Trish gasped. "You're kidding me! Oh, I just regained my teasing privileges."

"It's not a big deal, Trish," Daisy shrugged. "It was really sweet, actually. Not like that drunk sloppy stuff we used to call sex in college."

"Well how was he? Did the old man hold up?" Trish winked.

"We are not having this conversation."

When Daisy arrived at her apartment, she could faintly hear Bucky humming along to music from the late 1930s and early 1940s. She pressed her ear to the door so she could listen without interrupting him. A grin was plastered on her face as he hummed and lightly sang along to songs that she knew that Bucky was clearly very familiar with.

As much as she hated to interrupt him, she finally unlocked the door and came in to the apartment. The smell of homemade pasta sauce immediately overcame her sense of smell. Daisy couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Bucky in the kitchen making it alongside with a pot of spaghetti. He was wearing khaki pants and a black ribbed tank top.

He turned to look at her and beamed. His eyes seemed to light up like a Christmas tree. "Hey! You're home a bit early!"

"And you're a bit domestic!" Daisy exclaimed, heading over to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Domestic? Do we have to use that word?" Bucky asked with his nose crinkled and lips in a frown. He wrapped his metal arm around her and leaned down to kiss her lips.

"Bucky, look at you. You're cooking while humming along to Billie Holiday. You're like a housewife, but better."

"I was not humming," Bucky quickly defended, pointing at her with the spoon he was using for the sauce.

"Really? Then who did I hear humming before I came in, hmm?" Daisy challenged.

Bucky glared at her and tapped the spoon to her nose to purposely get sauce on her face. She wiped it off with her thumb before licking it off.

"Well, aren't you the perfect little housewife," Daisy said. "Tastes good."

"Thanks, you know, I try. I wanted to surprise you with dinner." Bucky shrugged. "You had a long shift today, but the only thing I can successfully make is pasta."

"Pasta's perfect," Daisy said with a light giggle. She stood on her tip toes to kiss Bucky's cheek. "Thank you for the flowers, by the way. They're beautiful."

"Oh, did they come today?" Bucky asked. "That was fast."

Daisy nodded. "They were waiting for me in my office this morning. They brightened the whole place up."

"Well I'm glad to hear it. How was work today?"

"Normal day, really. Trish just came back from maternity leave so she hung around my office all day. She asked about you."

"Oh?" Bucky asked. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. "How so?"

"Well, she sort of noticed the giant bouquet of flowers on my desk," Daisy reminded him.

"Alright, fair enough."

Daisy decided against telling him that Dave tried to show up. She didn't think it was necessary and wanted to avoid confrontation, especially seeing as she couldn't completely confirm that it was Dave. She didn't even want to think about Dave; she wasn't even happy in her relationship with Dave.

But she was happy with Bucky.


	10. Chapter 10

As the weeks went on, Bucky progressively began to sleep solely in Daisy's room rather than in the guest room. While the nightmares still happened, they had each other now, and their relationship became more and more serious. Dave hadn't threatened to come around for a while and HYDRA was finally off of his back. Someone who used to work with S.H.I.E.L.D. must have known somebody because he finally was taken off of the "wanted" list. He mentally thanked Steve for that.

The nightmares never completely stopped but they were less severe. He was feeling more comfortable with himself — with James Buchanan Barnes — and finally felt at peace with the answers he got not only from Daisy, but from Steve and Peggy, whom he had visited with Steve every once in a while.

In the same nursing home was Connie, the girl he dated back before he left for war and was a Howling Commando. He had visited her once, hoping it would bring back some better memories — which it did, but not too many — but realized that he couldn't reveal himself to her as actually him. He didn't want to do that to her. Instead, he said he was Bucky's nephew somewhere down the line that happened to look just like his great-uncle. He lied and said he was in Iraq and that's where he lost his arm when she asked him about the metal.

"How'd it go?" Daisy asked when he got back home.

"Not how I expected, but good enough, I guess," Bucky decided. "Helped me remember, that's for sure. She doesn't really look any different, just… just old."

"Well, it happens to all of us eventually," Daisy said with a shrug. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "That's the funny part about living. No matter what happens when you're living, it all ends the same."

That really resonated with Bucky. It made him feel better to know that his past didn't define him. Even though he may not have always been as good of a man as Daisy was a woman, he could change it and either way, they would all be buried in the ground the same exact way.

Bucky always made sure to wear sleeves long enough to cover the red star whenever he was in public. He did it not only to avoid people being curious but because he was ashamed of it.

Daisy noticed this as they progressively went out more and more. She never said anything — she didn't want to bring it up and trigger his memories — but she had a silent understanding of it. But when it was just him and her in the apartment, it didn't matter. He knew that she knew and he knew that she didn't care; not didn't care, per say, but knew that it was in the past and not him anymore.

Bucky knew that Daisy always like to have fresh flowers in the apartment and liked to surprise her when she came home from work with a fresh vase in the living room and another in their bedroom. Every time she would take a moment to smell them, and with the biggest smile on her face she would kiss him and thank him. It made him feel good to make her feel happy.

Daisy knew that Bucky liked to hear music that he knew the words to, so she would surprise him by lightly playing old songs while she would cook them breakfast or when she was getting work done. In one instance, Bucky's entire face lit up and he gently picked the files up off of her lap, placed them on the table, and pulled her in for a dance in the living room.

The little things made him feel normal again, things like grocery shopping, bringing Daisy flowers and dancing with her when his favorite song came on.

She had insisted that he didn't need to worry about the money but he was a man of honor, after all, and wanted to help her with things. The museum gave him a job as her assistant, much to her surprise, but she couldn't have been happier. She figured that something to keep him busy would be good for him. They gave him the empty office next to hers. They all loved him, especially when they were setting up a new exhibit and he was the only one who could lift it with that metal arm of his. It made him feel like he was useful and he found himself enjoying it. Not only was he helping out a woman that had helped him out so much, but he was getting paid to do it and learning so much about things that he missed out on over the past 70 years.

"You don't mind him working with us, do you?" Trish asked Daisy one day. "I think he's a great addition."

"I don't mind at all!" Daisy said. "It keeps him busy and it takes a load off of my shoulders when the research piles up. My office has been a lot cleaner ever since," Daisy said with a laugh.

"It really has, though! I don't have to move shit out of the way to sit on your desk anymore. But in all seriousness, I think he's great. I bet the other girls are wishing they found him that night."

Daisy blushed. "I'm very lucky," she said. "He's so good to me, Trish. I can't even believe how good to me he is."

"You deserve it. He's a lucky man, after all," Trish reminded her. "Your birthday is coming up. Any idea of what he's gonna get you?"

"None," Daisy said with a laugh. "I never even told him when my birthday is. He doesn't have to get me anything."

"Oh, don't worry, I told him when it was," Trish said. "I made sure he knew."

"You're ridiculous, Trish," Daisy laughed.

"Well, I heard he's gonna get you something nice."

"He doesn't have to get me anything at all," Daisy insisted. "It'll be my first day off in a while and I think he has the day off, too. It'll be nice to just relax with him."

"Well, I heard him talking with some of the guys and I think you're gonna love what he got you." Trish winked.

"You're ridiculous," Daisy repeated.

"Speak of the devil," Trish said as Bucky approached Daisy's office with a stack of papers in hand.

"Trish, are you harassing Daisy again?" Bucky teased as he strolled in.

Trish gasped. "Mr. Barnes, you are getting sassy."

"It's part of the job description," Bucky joked as he reached Daisy's side of her desk. He placed the stack neatly on her desk and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey doll. I feel like I haven't seen you all day."

"Trish has been holding me hostage up in here," Daisy said as she winked at Trish. She took a hold of Bucky's hands and entwined their fingers. "Thank you, this is perfect."

He leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "Any time."

"Should I leave you two alone for a minute?" Trish said as she slid off Daisy's desk and headed for the doorframe. "I feel like such a third wheel."

"Jesus Christ Trish, we're at work, we're not going to start having sex in the middle of my office," Daisy said as she shook her head. "Don't you have to go feed Holly soon?"

"That I do," Trish said as she checked her watch. "I'll see you after my break, Daisy."

That left just Daisy and Bucky there in her office. Bucky moved over and sat in the chair next to hers.

"So when were you going to tell me your birthday was this Saturday?" Bucky asked Daisy.

Daisy sighed. "You don't have to get me anything, Bucky," she insisted.

"Well, too late," Bucky said. He tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to make it a big deal," Daisy said with a shrug. "I'll be 27, it's just one step closer to 30."

Bucky laughed. "Well if it makes you feel any better, I'll be 97 this year." He winked; Daisy laughed.

"You are such a dork."

"Don't complain to me about getting old," Bucky teased.

"Don't complain to me about being old," Daisy sarcastically responded.

Bucky laughed, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. Daisy still melted into him and felt butterflies whenever he kissed her. Bucky still couldn't believe she was the woman he was kissing and had the pleasure to love to at night; he still felt like she was a character out of a fairytale.


	11. Chapter 11

When Daisy woke up that morning, Bucky wasn't there. She frowned as she rolled out of bed.

"Bucky? You home?"

No response. She searched around for him before giving up. After she showered and got dressed, she went out to the kitchen to find a fresh stack of pancakes — blueberry and chocolate chip — waiting for her on the table with a little note that she read while she ate.

'This was our first breakfast together. I hope I did an okay job at making them as good as you do. Next stop: where we first met. -B'

Daisy giggled and, with half of a pancake sticking out of her mouth, rushed to grab her keys and head to the museum. She sped there as fast as she could and ran in.

"Happy birthday, Miss Daisy!" Barbara exclaimed. "Don't you have the day off today?"

"Thank you, Barb, and I do. But Bucky sent me here!" She said with a laugh. She held up the note and Barb nodded in understanding.

"I'm glad that man took my advice," Barbara said to herself, pleased.

Daisy ran to where the Captain America exhibit once stood and found a note with her name on it taped to the floor. She got a few weird stares as she bent down and removed the tape and opened the folded piece of paper. When she unfolded the paper, a locket fell out. When she opened it, there was a picture that the two of them took when Daisy taught Bucky what a selfie was. She put it on before reading the next note.

'This was where you found me lost and alone. If it wasn't for you, I might still be The Winter Soldier. Next stop: where I learned who I really was. -B'

Daisy sped out of the current exhibit, earning a few strange looks from tourists. She ran to her office, running faster than she ever had before, and rushed with the key. She nearly stumbled into her office and saw a fresh vase of white daises on her desk with a note sitting next to them.

'I never would have imagined that going to your office the next day would change my life so much. Next stop: where you saved my ass from being caught by those HYDRA punks. -B'

Daisy laughed and shook her head. She headed back to her car and drove down to the school to Greek Row. In front of the bushes by the KA house, where Cameron was watching her with a few brothers through the window, Daisy saw the note stabbed into a bush. She pulled her car over to run out and grab it. Behind the note was a ring; Daisy pulled it off and slipped it on her ring finger. It was rose gold and had a pearl in the center.

'I could go on about how pearls mean something or whatever, but I honestly just thought it was really pretty and it reminded me of you. After all, a natural pearl is a rare and beautiful thing just like you. I just did what I said I wasn't gonna do, didn't I? Next stop: where we had our first kiss. -B'

Her bathroom, when she cleaned him up after the HYDRA incident. She drove back to her apartment, heading back in and rushing to the bathroom. How did she not notice this when she took her shower earlier?

It wasn't that she didn't notice it. Bucky waited until she left to set it up.

"That sneaky little shit," Daisy muttered to herself with a giggle when she entered the bathroom. On the counter rested another fresh vase of flowers — also white daisies — and the note next to it like it had been in her office.

'More daisies for my Daisy, of course. I'm not that original, I'm sorry. But I just want to show you, my Daisy, how much you mean to me. Next stop: where we first made love. -B'

Daisy set the note back down and entered her bedroom and beamed when she saw Bucky sitting there on the bed. He was wearing a T-shirt and khaki slacks and was on their bed with a sweet smile plastered on his face.

"Happy birthday, beautiful," Bucky said. Daisy laughed and nearly pounced him, pinning him underneath her on their bed.

She planted a loving kiss on Bucky's lips, something he reciprocated as he gently wrapped his arms around her to pull her close to him.

"You didn't have to do all this for me, Buck," Daisy said as she tucked some hair behind her ear.

Bucky chuckled. "Well, I did," he said. "Now it's time for your last present," he said as he raised an eyebrow. His smile turned into a smirk as he rolled Daisy over and pinned her underneath him.

"Mm, I wonder what that could be," Daisy teased as Bucky kissed her again.


	12. Chapter 12

The next day, Daisy adjusted Bucky's tie before patting his chest with her hands. "Opening day," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good," Bucky said with a nod. "Nervous for reasons obvious to you and I alone."

"You'll be fine," Daisy encouraged. "I'll be here, too, if you need me."

"I know. I just haven't really been around this many people in a long time, and…"

Daisy leaned up to kiss Bucky's cheek. "It'll be fine. Most of them will be quiet. Every now and then you might get a question. Don't worry."

"Okay," Bucky said as he took a deep breath. He kissed Daisy before the two of them headed into the completed exhibit that they had slaved over for months.

It looked fantastic. All of their research had really paid off, and people were practically glued to the walls as they took in all of the information. Most of the questions went straight to Daisy, who stood close to Bucky. He held his hands behind his back, trying to avoid anyone spotting the metal hand.

Daisy was right; it was fine. Very rarely did he get a question and when they did, they were either incredibly simple or in regards to the closest bathroom.

As the night came to a close, Daisy and Bucky helped clean up the exhibit. They were the last two to leave. As the two of them headed to Daisy's car, they suddenly each had a hand around their mouth and a gun to the back of their heads.

"Don't move a muscle," a voice whispered into Daisy's ear. "Scream and I'll shoot."

Daisy glanced over to Bucky, who was in a similar position. The only reason he didn't move and beat up on the two men was because he didn't want Daisy to get hurt.

The two of them got shoved into an alleyway, where a car was waiting. The trunk was open, waiting for them, and the two of them got shoved in. They were forced to both fit as the trunk door slammed shut. There was no room for them to move around or breathe, with Daisy lying on top of Bucky. If she shifted, her head would have hit the top of the trunk.

"Are you okay?" Bucky asked in a low whisper. They heard the car start up and felt it begin to move.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. Are you? Did they hurt you?"

"No. We have to get out of here."

"Do you know those guys?"

"I recognize them, yeah. I'm pretty sure they're with HYDRA. I'm so sorry, Daisy, this is all my fault."

"Stop apologizing, it's not your fault. How the hell do we get out of here?" Daisy asked.

Bucky reached out to feel for the panel where one of the taillights was. He ripped the panel off and pulled out the wires. He then shoved his metal arm through the taillight, shattering it on the road behind them. He peeked out and saw where they were. "We're getting near the highway."

Daisy looked down and saw where the release was. "Every car made in the past decade or so has a trunk release," she said. "I think I found it. Sorry if I squish you."

She reached for it and fiddled with it. When she yanked down, the trunk popped open. She shoved it up and the car behind them stopped short. His sandy blonde hair was a mess and his eyes looked wild with fear. Daisy looked up at the face and nearly died — it was Dave.

Daisy kicked off her heels before jumping out. Bucky followed suit. The two of them rolled out of their fall as their abductors began to slow down, realizing that the trunk was open and without Daisy or Bucky in it.

"Get in!" Dave exclaimed. Daisy grabbed a hold of Bucky's hand and ran towards Dave's car, opening the backseat as their abductors began to run towards them.

"Drive!" Daisy exclaimed. Dave stepped on the gas pedal and threatened to run over the HYDRA agents. They pulled out guns and began shooting, causing Daisy to duck and Bucky to lean forward towards the front seat.

"Do you have a gun by any chance?" Bucky asked Dave.

"In the glove compartment, yeah!" Dave exclaimed.

Bucky yanked the door of the glove compartment off of Dave's car and reached for the gun.

"The hell are you doing, man?" Dave asked as Bucky pried open the sunroof.

"I was a sniper in World War II and an assassin for the KGB courtesy of these guys," Bucky said. "I think I know what I'm doing."

"Daisy, who the hell have you been dating since we broke up?!" Dave barked back at her as she ducked even further. Bucky was shooting back at the HYDRA agents, who were now shooting at them from their vehicle, and hitting each one with precision.

"A formerly brainwashed assassin," Daisy said nonchalantly. "The same one that threatened you when you showed up to my apartment. Thanks for letting us in your car, though!"

"Shit!" Dave exclaimed as a bullet whizzed through the window and hit the passenger's seat headrest. Daisy was ducked down on the floor of the backseat to avoid gunfire. "You two alright?"

"Just peachy!" Bucky exclaimed before shooting the last two. He dove back down into the car and looked down to Daisy. "Are you alright? Were you hit?"

"No," Daisy said. "Were you?"

"No, your ex-boyfriend's erratic driving saved me from having to deal with a bullet wound. Thank you, sir."

"You're lucky you were with her, man," Dave said, "otherwise I would not have stopped shit for you."

"Dave, can we not talk about this right now?" Daisy asked. "Or like, ever?"

"Sorry, Daisy. You know how I feel," Dave said.

"And you know how I feel," Daisy said. "But as of right now, we kind of almost just got killed so, I'd appreciate it if this conversation wasn't happening right now."

"Want me to take you back to your car?" Dave asked to change the subject.

"Please," Daisy said with a nod. "That would be great."

Dave dropped them off and Daisy left the car with a simple thanks. She drove back home with Bucky and was in shock when they opened the door.

The place had been ransacked.


	13. Chapter 13

Daisy stared at the apartment with wide eyes. She glanced around and took a small step forward, evaluating the situation. Everything had been tossed around and scattered. It didn't look like anything was stolen, but rather thrown about or broken. One of the vases of flowers was broken on the ground. Daisy immediately picked it up and stood the flowers upright against the television and sighed.

"Do you think those guys did this?" Daisy asked.

Bucky frowned. "Probably. Let me go make sure there's no one in here, okay?"

Daisy nodded. "Okay. Be safe."

Bucky nodded as he grabbed a large knife from the kitchen. "Don't worry, I'm a pro."

Bucky headed down the hall with the knife ready, putting the skills he had acquired to use. He checked every crevice and found no one there, but more of their things thrown everywhere or broken.

When he opened the closet to the guest room, a man readied a gun but Bucky disarmed him before he could shoot. Daisy heard movement and ran to the kitchen to grab another large knife just in case.

The man tried to disarm the knife from Bucky, but Bucky caught it before it fell and held it to the man's throat.

"You still got it in you," the man said to Bucky. "HYDRA would be proud."

"No," Bucky said. "I'm protecting the woman I love. That wouldn't make them proud."

Before Bucky could do anything, he heard police sirens outside. Next thing he knew, three police officers were barging into their apartment. Daisy followed them.

"Which one is it, ma'am?"

"The one with a knife to his throat," Daisy said. Bucky released the knife and handed the intruder over to the police, who cuffed him immediately. He rushed over to Daisy, who dropped her knife and wrapped her arms around Bucky's neck. She clung to him for dear life.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Her voice was trembling. Her whole body was shaking. Bucky rubbed her back slowly.

"I'm fine," he said. He had scared himself but he knew that what he did was right. "Are you?"

Daisy nodded into Bucky's shoulder. "I'm just glad you're okay. I called 911 the minute I heard something going on."

"Smart girl," Bucky chuckled. "I'm just glad you're safe. For a minute, I thought-"

"You did the right thing, Buck," Daisy reassured. "The Winter Soldier wouldn't have protected me. Sergeant Barnes would have."

Bucky took a deep breath and rested his head on hers. "Thank you. I needed to hear that."

Daisy chuckled. "That's what I'm here for."

They pulled away when the police began to question them and had them fill out a report. Daisy was still shaken up but luckily, most of the questions were for Bucky.

"Do you two have a place to stay just in case?" One of the officers asked. "Maybe a good friend?"

"Yeah, I know who to call," Daisy nodded. "Thank you, officers."

"Should we call Steve?" Bucky asked.

"I'm calling my friend Cari," Daisy said. "She's got a huge place a few blocks away. Inherited it from her family, they're loaded. Besides, they might look for us at Steve's if there's still some of them out there. Just pack a few night's worth of stuff just in case."

They packed their things in silence. Bucky couldn't help but feel guilty; he had put her in this danger by sticking around for so long and for being selfish. He never expected ex-HYDRA agents to come banging at her door.

"Daisy, I…"

"I already know what you're going to say, Buck," Daisy said. "Don't you dare blame this on yourself." She picked up her phone as she finished packing her bag and gave Cari a call. "Hey girl, it's me. We had a break-in over here. Do you mind if Bucky and I stay at your house for the night?"

On the other end, Cari's eyes widened. She knew exactly what that meant. "Of course, Daisy!" Cari said, keeping her voice perky. "Any time, sista. You know where to go. I'll set up the spare bedroom the second we get off the phone."

"Thank you so much, Cari," Daisy said. "I really appreciate it. We'll be over in a few."

Daisy hung up and tossed her phone in her bag. Bucky stood there with both of their bags — mostly clothes and toiletries — ready. He tossed them in the trunk of Daisy's car and sat shotgun as she began to drive off.

"I thought you said Cari lived a few blocks away?" Bucky asked. "Why are we taking the highway?"

"Because we're not going to Cari's," Daisy answered. "We're going to Avengers Tower."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Bucky asked.

"Because they might have been tapping in on our phones, Bucky. I learned all about these guys when I learned all about you and Steve back in the day. I know how they work just as well as you do," Daisy said. "Cari used to work for S.H.I.E.L.D., and is good friends with Miss Potts. You may have heard of an Agent Phil Coulson?"

"Yeah, why?"

"That was her cousin."

"So if Cari worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., how do you know Cari?" Bucky asked. "Was it no accident that you found me in the museum that night?"

"We were sorority sisters in college," Daisy said. "I promise you, Bucky, I wasn't there on behalf of any of them that night or ever. I took you in because I wanted to. I didn't even tell Cari about you until they chased after you and Steve. We developed an emergency system in case this sort of thing ever happened. I've never worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.; I graduated with a history degree with concentration in museum studies, nothing S.H.I.E.L.D. worthy."

"So, based on what you said to her on the phone, she knew what you were actually saying?"

"If there are any HYDRA agents still looking for us, they will direct themselves to her house where she lives with her fiancé, who she met at S.H.I.E.L.D., so it's nothing they can't handle."

Bucky sighed. Daisy reached over and held his hand. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about any of this sooner. I should have let you know. I wasn't trying to be sneaky, just smart and cautious."

He could hear it in her tone: she meant it. He didn't think Daisy had the ability to lie to him. "It's okay, Daisy," Bucky said. Even if he wanted to be, he couldn't be mad at her. "I believe you."

Daisy smiled. "Don't worry, Buck. We're going to be okay."


	14. Chapter 14

The new Stark Tower — Avengers Tower — seemed to shine against all of the other buildings in New York. The giant A stood tall and proud, making the building impossible to miss. They took their time getting their bags out and heading to the front door to examine the building.

"This is a little surreal," Bucky said. "Should I call Steve?"

"Already done," a voice called out. They looked to the source of it and saw Tony Stark approaching them. Pepper was walking beside him. "Rogers knows. Might swing by later. Welcome in. You must be Daisy and Bucky."

"Thank you so much," Daisy immediately said. "Really, this means a lot."

"It's our pleasure," Pepper interjected. "Cari's told me so many wonderful things. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Same," Daisy laughed. She glanced over to Bucky, who was having his metal arm stared at by Tony. "Have you heard from Cari?"

"Not since she called me to let me know you guys were coming," Pepper said. "But she will as soon as she's got an update. Don't worry about her, she's a tough girl."

Daisy nodded. "Always has been."

Pepper and Tony led Bucky and Daisy to their room. It was massive, with a king bed and a large window overlooking the city from what felt like a hundred floors up. They had a large flatscreen and his and her's walk in closets. The room connected to a large bathroom with a large shower, twin vanities, and a jacuzzi tub.

"This is too much, I can't thank you enough," Daisy gushed.

"It's no problem at all whatsoever," Pepper insisted. "We'll leave you two be, I'm sure you've had a long night."

That left Bucky and Daisy alone in the room. Daisy set her bag down on the floor and wandered over to the window, enjoying the view of the city. Bucky followed after her and wrapped his arms gingerly around his waist. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and sighed as Daisy rested her hands on his. One of her hands shifted up to run her fingers through his hair. She turned around in his arms and wrapped her own around his waist. He looked at Daisy sadly and kissed her forehead before kissing her lips.

"I'm sorry I put you in danger," Bucky said. "If you-"

"You don't have anything to apologize for, Bucky," Daisy said. "You saved my life. I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

Bucky nodded and buried his face back into her neck. "Okay. Thank you."

Daisy nodded and kissed Bucky's temple. "Come on, let's try to get some sleep."

Bucky had nightmares — memories — that night for the first time in months. Daisy snapped away the moment she heard him screaming into the pillow. She turned him over and pinned him down like how she used to.

"Bucky, wake up, it's okay, it's just a nightmare, it's all in the past," she cooed. When she had held his wrists above his head, he shot awake and looked up to see Daisy straddling him. His breathing was heavy and a light film of sweat covered his forehead. He broke free of Daisy's grasp on his wrists and immediately pulled her in close to him, holding her more closely than he ever had before. He dug his face into her hair and she could feel tears hit her collarbone. "It's okay, Buck, I'm here," Daisy cooed as she began to rub his hair.

"I love you, Daisy, I love you so much," Bucky whispered into her neck.

"I love you too, Bucky. I'm right here, it's okay. It's all going to be okay."

Steve had arrived early the following morning. Bucky could hear him and Pepper talking outside.

"Are you still seeing that girl?" Pepper asked him.

"I am, yeah. She's great. Wanted to come but had a, uh, family emergency I guess you could call it," he said with a chuckle.

"You'll have to bring her by next time," Pepper said.

Bucky stirred and nudged Daisy. "Daisy, baby, Steve's here."

Daisy groaned in her sleep. "Just a few more minutes in bed."

Bucky chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "That's fine by me."

Bucky pulled Daisy closer to him before rolling on top of her, which earned him a giggle from Daisy. She leaned up and brought their lips together in a sweet kiss. Bucky still melted into her kisses.

"Thank you for staying with me," Bucky said when they pulled away. He tucked one of her blonde curls behind her ear. "No matter what."

"Thank you for trusting me enough to stay," Daisy said. He looked down and saw the necklace he had given her for her birthday around her neck. He glanced over and saw the ring on her finger, too.

"One day, I'm going to replace that pearl with a diamond," Bucky said. "I promise. Just you wait."

Daisy smiled underneath him. "I know you will."


End file.
